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Toy Soldiers of Atlas
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One by one,
Fall in line
One by one,
Marched in time.
One by one,
Followed orders.
One by one,
Like Toy Soldiers.
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Great spires of dark rock twisted into the sky the size of small mountains. They dotted across the Dracul Isles like signs of claimed territory. Their insides were hollow. Holes bored into them, where the Grimm Vlad crawled out, like bees from a hive.
The movements of the giant mosquitos were faster than their large frames let on. Their protruding beaked blades shimmered in the light. And the buzzing reverb their wings made, put anyone who heard them on edge.
Soaring above the Grimm nests were the airships of Atlas, flying juggernauts of modern innovation. Their cannons aimed at the Isles, firing round after round. The impact, not as effective as they might have liked, but that did not matter.
Because while their airships were formidable in their own right, the true strength of their military laid with their robotics.
The Atlesian Knights were one such example. Artificial soldiers mass-produced in high volume. They were the common foot soldier of their force. New models were designed each year, guaranteeing every generation better than the last.
This model in particular greatly outperformed the one before it, due to one significant change. A hard-tensile wire acted as an umbilical cord that connected the Dust Reactor from any small hovercraft to several Atlesian Knights at a time. This gave them an output that was until recently impossible, resulting in increased operation time, mobility, processing, and even energy fields.
These were the mechanical warriors that rained down from the sky, and onto the Isles without the need for parachutes or cushion. A veritable meteor shower of deadly robots. They sent dirt flying from the craters they made.
At first, they collapsed like lifeless ragdolls cast overboard. But as soon as Dust fed into their systems, the androids stood with an unnerving likeness to puppets on strings. Their arms raised towards the Vlads and their nests, and machinegun fire roared from the muzzle protruding their wrists.
In return, the monstrous mosquitos swarmed their invaders, both on the ground and in the sky. The Grimm's long-bladed mouths cut and pierced through the androids. They converged along the hulls of Atlas ships. Some of them managed to feed on the energy from the machines, but not so long before being shot down.
It would be difficult to tell from the first outlook which side held the upper hand.
The Vlad had difficulty working through the steel plating. Plus, their enemy was more varied in their arsenal. There was also human intelligence to consider. But the Grimm outnumbered the Atlesian Knights by miles.
Gigantic fluttering insects filled the air and blanketed the warships, hindering movement and organization. Their flight speeds were fast enough they could plunge into foes, like swordfish skewering their meal.
And while the great battle between Atlas and Grimm waged on, a third party was soon to arrive.
Countless, light-traveling boats sped their way towards the stage. Great streaks of white foam trailed in their wake, drawing stripes across the waves. Each of them carried warriors representing the Kingdom of Mistral. Organized into three divisions, they flocked to the middle and edges of the Dracul Isles.
Riding on the left regiment, was the lead boat transporting Team ENMY, Inna's FIRE Team, Raven, and members of the White Fang.
They would be the first to touchdown, and carried with that, a heavy responsibility.
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While Mistral forces rode in transport, they watched—unnerved by the scene unfolding before them. Their projectors and scrolls provided visuals on the skirmish between machine and Grimm.
Before such a sight, even the seasoned veterans harbored doubts. The army was eager going into the start of the operation, but that was quickly dissipating. Unease spread through their morale like contagious disease.
As if taking objection to that, one individual among the many never lost her composure.
She had seen far worse and stood against more dire odds. Victory and defeat were ballads she was well-versed in. Never one to rely on fate or chance, which neither showed favor in return.
And strangely enough, her nature to remain steadfast and stoic spread to those around her. Something in the presence of the woman braced them, urged them forward. Even the pilot of their transport stepped down on the throttle harder, making for deadly danger with as much haste as he could muster.
Raven viewed the projection of the Isles. Her hands operated the screen and zoomed in on the beachfront they were supposed to make landfall on.
"Hostiles along the shore," she observed. "We could lose a lot of troops just trying to make entry. I'm going ahead to secure our landing zone."
"I'll go, too," Yang chimed.
"...Alright. We should be enough to cut an opening." Raven shifted from her daughter to the rest of the boat. "As soon as you touch down, make sure to clear the way for the other transports."
They all nodded in turn.
Raven drew her long sword from its scabbard. The blade rung sharp, as it was freed and sliced through the air. Its tip cut a black hole in space, which grew and pulsated to the size of its conjurer.
Raven bade Yang a small glance.
"Aim down range," she said.
Yang gulped, not knowing whether that was a joke or genuine advice. Either way, she clenched her fists tightly, banging them together.
"I'm ready."
Together, Raven and Yang leapt through the portal.
…
From the other side, they reappeared midair above the beach, effectively traveling a mile in an instant.
Below them, the battle between Atlesian Knights and Grimm Vlads was going full force. Both sides kicking up sand and water along the tide.
Yang took a deep breath as gravity lurched her down. She gauged the timing in her head, readying to make use of the initiative.
The Ember Celica in her right shifted and torched with blue light. Her torso winded back to their farthest fulcrum. She could feel heat collect in her fist. And a debonair smile plastered itself on the young girl's visage.
"RAARRRGGHHH!" Yang let out a fierce roar, hair blazing with fire. The scarf around her neck whipped about like a dragon's tail.
On contact with the ground, great plumes of flame swallowed the beach. The nearby water boiled and steamed. Silicates in the sand heated to glass. A majority of the Grimm and androids were charred beyond recognition.
What remained from the impact met with Raven's wicked blade.
The swordsman spared no moment after Yang's attack. Her focus homed in on the "survivors", striking them down one after another. Many of them, beheaded before mounting any kind of resistance.
Raven's skill with the sword was chilling to behold. Her footwork moved her within ideal striking distance in a blink. As quick as her hand rested on her weapon's hilt, an enemy was severed in two in the same breath. The sound of a piercing ring only detectable after the fact.
Again and again, she repeated this one-slash one-kill technique. The movement embodied the elegance of an artist's brush, like calligraphy in motion. It painted a trail of "dead" bodies where she stepped.
Between the pair, the landing zone was cleared within the minute.
Yang watched her mother's swordplay with a sense of awe. She always knew Raven was powerful, but to see her in action and up close—it was no wonder Neo, Emerald, and Mercury were so wary of her. Not only that, Yang could also sense something sinister in the blade Raven wielded. The katana was definitely no ordinary weapon.
Yang's eyes started to gleam redder than normal.
Her attention suddenly drew to the ground beneath her feet. She used her boot to smoosh the sand with a graveling crunch. Something felt off.
"Pretty flashy entrance," Raven remarked. "Make sure to conserve your Dust, Yang. This was one fight of many…Yang? What is it?"
"…"
At first, Raven was curious, but her expression darkened with recognition.
"Yang. What do you see?"
"…" The girl crunched the sand more. "This island…It's weird."
"Is that all?"
Yang looked up to her mother.
"You were also…"
Her body jolted with fear as she realized Raven was looking back at her with red irises that mirrored her own. Something in that stare held an eerie familiarity—an omen of foreboding, if there ever was one.
As if to interrupt them, a group of five Vlads closed overhead. Their legs tucked into their bodies, readying to dive in the next second.
Yang and Raven readied with their own motions. A fresh cartridge slotted in to replace the spent one in Ember Celica. Raven's scabbard revolved to switch in a fresh blade. And just when they were about to attack, something peculiar happened.
The Grimm released the tension in their bodies, then began flying elsewhere.
"Did they just…ignore us?" Yang questioned, not believing her eyes. "I've seen some Grimm do that, but the Vlad aren't supposed to be that smart, right?"
Her suspicions grew when she saw more Vlads flocking from the shores in the distance. Many even seemed like they were baiting the Atlesian Knights away, creating a clearing for Mistral's boats.
"What…is going on?" Yang joined her mother's side at the sight, and noticed Raven's expression was furious. "Mom?"
But her mother ignored her. The woman was too caught up in her own thoughts to answer.
Is it her?
That's not possible.
She's never been able to influence the Vlad, they're too simple!
But if it's not her, then how?!
Raven bit her lower lip so hard, it almost punctured the skin.
…
Damn it!
This is no time to worry about that!
For now, it's working in our favor.
We just have to be careful from here on out…
"Mom?" Yang called again.
"There's a large deposit of Bane beneath the Isles," Raven suddenly explained. "That's why some things are coming off as odd. They have a certain effect on members of our family."
"What?" Yang stared at the sand again. More questions were forming in her head. "But how does that—"
"Stay focused. Our fight's only started."
At the same time, their boat washed ashore behind them.
Emerald, Mercury, and Neo hopped off the deck to join Yang. FIRE Team spread out to take up shooting positions. And the White Fang members regrouped with Raven.
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"Sir, we have reports of Mistral soldiers landing on the southern beaches," the officer announced.
General Ironwood's jaw tightened.
"So, they're finally here. I was really hoping the Grimm were all we would be contending with today."
He rested his arms on the command console, leaning on it for support. His despondency was apparent, but allowed only briefly.
The General straightened, resolute once more. He donned the stone mask of an army leader. Always trying to set the best example for his soldiers.
Ironwood opened the communication channel and spoke. His orders echoed in the minds of Atlas soldiers.
"Drive them into the sea."
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"Take the Isles."
Raven's orders resounded in the Mistral forces, as they desperately fought to gain footholds on Dracul.
The Commander warped between positions, assisting in clearing landing zones. Sometimes, securing them single-handedly. And with her success, more Mistral troops arrived safely to shore.
Soon, it would be time to push the center.
Meanwhile, driven by their instinctual need to protect their territory, the Vlads—rather ironically—vacated their nests for a full offensive. An action that was predicted and made use of. This was the edge humanity possessed against the mindless creatures of Grimm.
With their nests left unguarded, a number of Atlesian Knights were deployed towards destroying the mosquitos' homes. The androids were left ignored for the most part.
That is, until Mistral saw the opportunity to combat Atlas forces, while avoiding the Grimm.
Inna's Team rushed up the towering structures to gain overwatch positions. At the same time, Team ENMY and the White Fang engaged Atlas on the ground.
"Robots," Emerald spat. "I hate robots."
"No hallucinating them, huh?" Yang commented.
"Yeah…"
Neo's not so good with them either.
It'd be different if they were living—living things have organs and you can kill them a thousand different ways.
Androids are built with redundancies…
Light attacks can cripple, but can't take them out quick.
So, if we want to play this right, use as little stamina as we can…
Emerald's eyes narrowed with scorn.
"—Queen's Gambit."
On command, Mercury and Yang fired off simultaneous bangs to launch them into the frontlines. They were the team's direct contact elements. The pair with the most destructive force.
Yang's fists smashed through the Atlesian Knights' shields and shattered their inner components with it. Mercury pummeled the artificial soldiers with his trademark kicks. The two never remaining still for a second. The flow of their attacks always led to the next, as if it were one choreographed move instead of separate ones.
Often designated to the vanguard, Yang and Mercury learned to blend their attacks seamlessly. They covered each other's backs, called out what the other couldn't see. When they picked out priority targets, the two would overwhelm the mark in an instant. Often times, Yang coming in from the right with Mercury swooping in from the left. Together, they were Team ENMY's one-two combo.
Meanwhile, as Neo and Emerald provided support, Emerald observed the umbilical cords that stretched from the androids to the compact airships above.
That looks interesting.
Bet those aren't piloted by robots.
"Neo," she called over. "Time to play saboteur."
The pig-tailed girl followed Emerald's direction to the hovercrafts. Following a nod, Neo disappeared into a mirror with a flash.
A moment later, Emerald could see chaos ensuing in one of the dropship's cockpits. It wavered and eventually crashed to the ground. The Atlesian Knights connected to the one in particular, weakened to the point of being clunky paperweights.
Emerald smirked.
She released the chains on her weapon and latched her hooks to the next nearest hovercraft.
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X
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Fluttering wings covered Atlas warships head to toe.
They stabbed at the hulls like annoying woodpeckers. Their initial assault accomplished little, but over time, the Grimm's chipping away started to cause serious damage. This prompted the captains of the airships to deploy Atlesian Knights on their own decks.
The mechanical dolls climbed up the sides and drilled bullet after bullet into any Vlad in sight. The Grimm's onslaught was slowed, but more were on the way.
From the Fleet's largest dreadnought, Ironwood watched multiple monitors on his interface. A radar that created a virtual map was on display for everyone on the bridge to see. It was clear that between fighting the Grimm and the Mistral forces, they had reached a stalemate.
The General judged the timing to be optimal for phase two of their strategy.
"Initiate Advance Maneuvers. Deploy Second-Tier Units."
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Atlas dropships began performing more complicated maneuvers, shifting away from full-on assaults.
By using the umbilical cords attached to the Atlesian Knights as sky lines, they lifted the androids away from unfavorable fights, and redistributed them in more advantageous ones. Like a game of hopscotch, they retreated and relocated wherever they pleased. And because of their elevation, it was almost impossible for Mistral soldiers to stop them.
And then, arrived a new threat.
Great metal lockers jettisoned from the larger air carriers. Most of them specifically aimed at the feet of Mistral forces.
The doors hissed loudly as they popped off the containers. And from them, heavy mech bodies stepped out. Their frames almost seven times the size of an Atlesian Knight.
They were the new Paladin models. Goliath-sized robots built with an arsenal and defense to match a miniature fortress. Every step they took made the earth quake. Guns and missile launchers were mounted on each shoulder. Remnant bore witness to the mayhem its predecessor model caused during the Fall of Beacon. It could only be imagined how much more powerful the upgraded versions were.
One of the units landed itself right before a regrouped Team ENMY.
At the sight of it, Yang found herself remembering when RWBY fought one piloted by Torchwick. A fight that was far from easy according to memory.
Before she could finish the train of thought, the Paladin began its attack.
The lids on the machine's rocket launchers opened. Smoke poured from the barrels as a barrage of missiles were fired all at once.
In the face of the streaming projectiles, Yang, Mercury, and Neo's first thought was to dodge. But Emerald's voice swiftly dismissed the notion.
"Fan the hammer, people!" she called out.
The members of Team ENMY kept their cool. Their back feet planted firmly to the ground. Together, they brandished their weapons in fire-arm mode. Even Neo flipped Torchwick's cane with a flare. The sound of hammers cocking echoed across the line, followed by a wall of unrelenting gunfire.
The four of them never shot wildly. Every round was picked and placed in their own designated areas. Nothing excessive, nothing left to waste.
The Paladin's missiles detonated all around it, causing a cloud of smoke to form. Red laser sights from the robot's tracking system activated. The beams were on the verge of relocking targets.
"—Stiletto Heel," Emerald ordered.
Neo and Mercury skipped the distance and harassed the Paladin from varying angles.
The two were the team's fastest and most precise instruments. Able to flip and turn on a dime, Neo and Mercury showered the Paladin with surgical strikes. Though the mech had an array of optic sensors, they were too slow to keep up. Then, every one of them were disabled before they could calibrate—effectively making its long-range armaments useless.
"—Karambit!"
On their leader's signal, Neo and Mercury withdrew to conserve energy, while Yang and Emerald took their place.
The new pair traded out their attacks one after the other, concentrating on the machine's torso. Yang launched an artillery-triggered haymaker into the Paladin's underbelly, which caused it to stagger. Then followed Emerald, rotating her body to shred into the hull like a circular saw. They chained the sequence to leave no gaps in between. The same spot in the armor was concentrated on until a break appeared.
Emerald noted it and switched orders accordingly.
"—Hollow Point!"
She made her next spin attack last a little longer, while Neo layered pointed glass over Yang's right fist.
"Ready!" Yang shouted.
Emerald backed off and Yang narrowly ducked under one of the Paladin's punches. Her foot dug into the dirt, loading her weight like a spring. Right in front of her was the gash they made in the mech's armor.
With a lightning snap, Yang loosed an uppercut that cracked hard into the Paladin's lower carriage. The shockwave alone, elevated the mech a few feet into the air. And with Yang's punch, the glass covering her fist shattered sharp daggers throughout the Paladin's insides. The mech's systems were decimated, as it fell to its knees, devoid of function.
Yang stepped back and looked down on the now, giant piece of scrap metal.
It was an odd feeling for her.
With Team RWBY, she had to build all her Aura and Semblance in order to deal the final blow. In contrast, this battle left Yang with plenty of energy to spare. In fact, she barely activated her Semblance whatsoever. She wondered if the lack of difficulty was due to her increased strength, or her improved Ember Celica, or some other difference.
But when she turned to the rest of her team, she was confronted with a disconcerting truth. They were the difference.
Emerald, Neo, and Mercury carried their battles with a brand of ruthlessness. Every action and reaction was done with cold, calculated technique. They fought dirty. They fought underhanded. They achieved their ends with a deadly, almost obsessive, focus.
And though, Yang wouldn't exactly call them friends, an amount of trust existed between them. Else they would never be able to coordinate so well with each other.
Whether she chose to admit it, Yang was now part of their lethal synergy. A sentiment that brought her a sense of pride, but also a bit of shame. There was a charm that came with fighting in Team ENMY, which she never felt in RWBY—at least when combat was concerned.
Yang silently wished she was part of her old team again.
Her Aura flared smoothly and her Dust reserves remained intact. She incurred little damage since the start of the battle. There would be time to think later.
"—Hey, is anyone else starving?" Yang heard one of her teammates ask.
"Mercury, you just ate half your weight in energy bars two hours ago," Emerald pointed out.
"I think they were nutritional. Healthy food never fills you up."
Emerald rolled her eyes. "Sure, let's just pass by the nearest fast-food joint while we're here!"
Yang glanced up at one of the flying dreadnoughts in the sky.
"Bet they have a cafeteria."
"Yeah. Now, if only we could blast it out of the sky so it can rain some hamburgers and—Great, now I'm hungry."
Neo tugged on the three's sleeves. Her hands were holding weeds picked off the ground. To which, Mercury shrugged, took the offering, and shoved them into his mouth.
…
"…What? They're the edible kind," he mumbled.
"I can't, man. Just—What can I even say—Oh, thank god. Here comes another one."
On Emerald's word, a second Paladin landed before them.
Team ENMY switched into their fighting stances once more.
Yang banged her gauntlets together. The scarlet in her eyes gleamed fiercely.
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Raven's eyes streaked a deep scarlet, observing the Paladin before her. She foresaw the mech's demise as clear as if it were predetermined.
Her blade beat like an excited heart.
She warped above the Paladin and slashed once, straight down the middle. Her landing quieter than a whisper. Upon resheathing her sword, the machine collapsed in halves.
Raven scanned her surroundings, trying to gauge the battle situation, listening to the reports coming in…
It wasn't good.
Compared to Raven's regiment, the rest of Mistral's forces were struggling to combat the Second-Tier Units. Not only were they being routed, the machinations were succeeding in destroying the Grimm nests. The left wing was holding due to Team ENMY and the White Fang's efforts, but it would mean nothing if the other ranks completely stalled. If Raven didn't come up with a solution soon, the battle would quickly snowball into defeat.
That is, if it wasn't past that point already.
…
At that moment, she received an urgent communication on her scroll. The caller was Prime Minister Argent.
"What's our status, Commander?" the voice crackled from the other end.
"Bad," she bluntly answered. "The Grimm are being wiped out and the same goes for their nests. Our troops are being suppressed. We need reinforcements."
"…I need a no bullshit assessment, Raven. You know we have a limited capacity to operate. Can we salvage the situation?"
She paused. "Unless we can commit a lot more troops under the hour, we're going to lose the Isles."
Her head ached when she thought of the travel time, the number of transports and soldiers they could deploy at a time. If only the stage of battle didn't have such limited space, it wouldn't be such a problem.
Raven breathed a heavy sigh.
She never liked admitting defeat. It wasn't in her nature. But years of fighting had taught her many harsh lessons—including, when to cut her losses.
"Our people are dying, Argent. I'm preparing to order full retreat."
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NOTE
Because it's kind of special, there will be a new chapter released tomorrow as well.
(At least it should, barring nothing strange happening with the queue.)